Interview with Joan Antoni Obregon

Interview with Joan Antoni Obregon, Vice President of FEVA (Chess Federation of Andorra) and WE R Europe candidate for ECU Treasurer.
http://www.wereurope.org

Journalist: What led you to be a candidate for Treasurer of the ECU?

Joan Antoni: First, as far as joining the team is concerned, I have been the ECU (and FIDE) delegate of Andorra for eight years, during which I have spent much time explaining to the representatives of other countries what we have been doing to develop the sport of chess in our very small country. When Ali Nihat Yazici invited me to join his team, which wants to revolutionize chess in Europe, especially among the smaller federations, I had to accept. Second, as for why Treasurer, well Andorra has certain tax advantages that we believe can be useful for the ECU.

Q: And what are the things you do?

JA: I think the most remarkable things that we have achieved in Andorra; not just me, but also previous administrations, are the development of chess in schools and the organization of an unbroken series of 28 International Opens. We have worked hard, always trying to make the latest tournament better than the last. With a population of about 95,000 we are proud to have had 150 players from 28 countries, including 15 Grandmasters in this year’s tournament. I think we are leading the way in showing other small ECU federations what they can achieve,

Q: Does Andorra have a successful project for teaching chess in schools?

JA: The Principality started a chess in schools project 25 years ago, and the federation has always believed in this as an excellent tool for the education and training of young people.

Over time the infrastructure and the classes have grown and currently our two full-time chess teachers can barely cope with the demand from more than 1,000 students at various schools throughout the country.

I think that our experience in this area means we can make a real contribution to WeREurope’s major objective of developing chess in schools. Ali has proven success in a big country, while I see things from the perspective of a small one.

Q: Andorra is one of the leaders among smaller Europe federations. How would your election promote the development of chess in other small states?

JA: Just last year Andorra organized the very first Olympiad of Small European States. My goal is to establish this event as a regular fixture in the European calendar.

One of the important points in our plan is to support the chess development of all the small states of Europe. Sometimes memories of promises made before elections are short, especially for those made to small federations. Other federations can rest assured that our memories for these promises will be long, Our track record demonstrates that we care about this.

Q: This year the FEVA organized the 28th Chess Open of Andorra. As tournament director, how do you see it in the context of Europe as a whole?

JA: It is true that the Open of Andorra has, over time, achieved a good worldwide reputation, and many are the players who want to return each year. However, I think that the FEVA, as organizer, must not go to sleep at the wheel, and we continue to strive to find new ways to grow and improve.

I know this is just a tiny grain of sand in the great multitude of excellent tournaments organized throughout Europe, but I also believe that our small country perspective means that we can contribute to the development and improvement of all the European championships.

Q: Will your team win the elections?

JA: I sincerely hope so. With all due respect to the other teams, I think ours is the best and the most qualified to lead European chess for the next four years.

Q: Thanks for all that.

J.A.: Thank you.

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